Jihoon woke up with the sun already high in the sky. It wasn't unusual for him; after a long and exhausting night at work, he often slept in until noon. He rolled over in his creaky bed and stared at the wall in front of him, where the plaster was starting to peel off. Sure, the apartment was cheap, but it was far from luxurious—in fact, it was a bit of a dump.

He dragged himself out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom. He turned on the hot water, which, as often happened, came out ice-cold since the boiler was on its last legs and only worked one time out of three.

"Damn it!" he grumbled, and as if on cue, the hot water suddenly started gushing from the showerhead. Unfortunately, it was so hot it burned his skin.

By the time he sat down for breakfast, he hadn't been awake for an hour and was already stressed. He warmed up a cup of milk and threw in a handful of cereal. As he spooned the cereal into his mouth, he pulled out his phone to check the day's news. The top search on Naver was once again about Park Minho, but this time it wasn't related to the drama he was starring in.

It appeared to be a scandal.

Now this was interesting!

Jihoon quickly opened the article and started reading. The piece began with a photo of Park Minho arm-in-arm with a woman... Jihoon squinted to focus and was shocked to see that it was the famous idol Na Seoyoung.

"The nation's golden bachelor might not be single after all. The photos clearly show the renowned actor Park Minho in affectionate poses with singer Na Seoyoung of 1Girls. Fans of both artists are clashing in the comments, defending their favorites, with many unwilling to believe this news that could break the hearts of countless admirers. Everyone is demanding that the agencies of the respective celebrities make a statement to calm the situation. All we can do is report the facts as they are, and these don't seem like the actions of just good friends."

In the rest of the world, a romantic scandal, especially involving celebrities, often increased the fame of those involved. However, in South Korea, the situation worked differently. Generally, those caught up in such news would, at best, lose a few thousand fans, but at worst, face the loss of significant work contracts. Being single was a prerequisite for maintaining a long and dazzling career in Korea, as fans wanted to dream of one day being a boyfriend or girlfriend, even if just in their imagination, of these stars. Without that dream, interest in the celebrity would inevitably wane. This often led agencies to completely ban relationships or, in other cases, keep them highly secret and discourage actors, actresses, and singers from having public relationships.

Would this stupid scandal bring Park Minho down from his throne? Jihoon strongly doubted it. However, it was amusing to think that he had woken up to a juicy problem. Perhaps karma was finally turning in his favor!

Meanwhile, in Seoul’s most exclusive neighborhood…

Minho woke up with the lovely Seoyoung sitting on his hips, her small hands pressing against his toned chest.

“Good morning, prince,” she said in a velvety tone, leaning down to place a kiss on his lips. “Did you sleep well?”

Minho squinted and reached over to the nightstand, grabbing his phone to check the time. It was only 11; why was she waking him up already? And, more importantly, why was she on top of him? This early morning physical contact was unexpected.

After a moment of disorientation, he realized his phone was flooded with notifications. He pushed Seoyoung off him (she complained with a “Ouch—what’s that about?!”) and opened one of the dozens of messages from his manager.

“We’ve always asked you for one thing: DISCRETION,” said the last message from his manager. Attached was a photo of him kissing Seoyoung’s neck in a quiet street in Seoul under the cover of night. The photo was taken from a distance and was slightly blurry, but the two were unmistakably recognizable. Minho threw himself back onto the bed, burying his face in the pillow.

Damn it!

“What’s going on? What happened?”

In response, Minho grunted and handed her the phone. She stared at the screen blankly for a few seconds before shrieking.

“Is it really necessary to make such a racket?!”

“My life is ruined!”

“Don’t exaggerate; you were seen with me, not some third-rate extra!”

“Ah, Minho, you don’t understand anything!” Seoyoung snapped, getting off the bed and pulling the sheet with her, revealing Minho’s bare backside, which he was not pleased about at all. “For women, it’s not like it is for men! When fans realize you’re not a virgin anymore, they turn away!”

“You’re 25; why should you be a virgin?”

“Don’t try to find logic in all this, because there isn’t any! Things are just the way they are!” she said, then took her phone and started opening the messages. After a moment, she shrieked again.

Minho was going to need his dose of paracetamol even before having breakfast. Great, a new all-time record.

Seoyoung went into the suite's sitting room and sat on one of the sofas. Minho didn’t listen much to her conversation but gathered that she was on the phone with her manager. She kept apologizing, saying it was a mistake, that she had been drinking, that she hadn’t thought about their agreement, and similar excuses. Words, words, words that meant nothing and certainly wouldn’t improve the situation.

Minho, feeling increasingly bored by the whole ordeal, went to the bathroom to take a shower, washing away the remnants of the sex with Seoyoung from his skin.

Perhaps a bit of concern would have done him good, but the truth was his ego was too inflated to accept that a trivial matter could somehow affect his career. He believed his manager was overreacting. As he lathered his hair, an idea struck him. Perhaps, for once, they could try a different strategy. He turned the temperature knob of the shower, shutting off the flow of water. Squinting, he mulled over the thought in his head. Maybe he should confirm the relationship rather than deny it. He figured that if the news had come out at this moment, it could turn into a real gold mine. After all, people were talking about him and showing interest in his life; it was logical to think that they might also end up watching the drama, possibly looking for clues to confirm the numerous conspiracy theories that were surely already circulating online.

Of course, publicly claiming a relationship with Seoyoung didn’t excite him, especially since it would cut off many other interesting opportunities, and essentially because it wasn’t true. As pleasant as it was to sleep with Seoyoung, they weren’t a loving couple, nor did he like her for her intelligence or depth of soul. It was merely a carnal relationship, and it was meant to stay that way. But given that circumstances had changed, it was time to set aside personal desires and start thinking logically so that it was at least advantageous for one of them.

He didn’t care about or concern himself with the effects it would have on Seoyoung’s career. She would have to figure out how to save face on her own. He would never hinder her, but he wouldn’t help her either.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and exited the bathroom. He walked to the small sitting area where Seoyoung was crying, her nose reddened from the tears.

"Let's publicly confirm our relationship," Minho said as if it were obvious.

"What?"

"If we confirm that we're together, people will lose interest quickly. But if we deny it, they'll keep speculating, which could damage our image. Instead, let's confirm we're a couple. We'll be seen out at some places, post some lovey-dovey stories on Instagram, and in a couple of months, announce that we've broken up."

"Do you think that could work?"

"Can you think of a better alternative? Those photos are unmistakable. It's not a scandal we can simply deny."

"I... yes, maybe that could be the best solution," Seoyoung said.

"Great, then let's meet with our managers and discuss it right away," Minho said with his usual cold and detached tone. Seoyoung wondered how he could be so cynical even in a situation like this.

A few hours later, Seoyoung, Minho, and their respective managers gathered around a round table in one of the conference rooms at Minho’s agency. They had spent considerable time discussing the details and had drafted an official statement confirming their relationship. This statement was set to be released that evening by both agencies.

Seoyoung’s manager then made a brief phone call. When he hung up, he said, “I’ve hired a couple of paparazzi for tonight. It’s important that you both appear happy and content on a romantic date.”

“Isn’t it a bit early?” Minho asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

“Last night was too early, when you were caught like idiots,” his manager retorted sharply, jabbing a finger at him in reprimand. “Timing is crucial. People need to believe and fall in love with your story before they solidify their feelings of resentment and envy.”

Seoyoung had remained silent throughout, her head bowed. She knew all too well that no matter what they did, it would never be enough to repair her image. She had read the comments under her Instagram photos and was certain that making her relationship with Minho official would be like putting a band-aid on a vase shattered into a thousand pieces.

There were more phone calls made by the managers, and they worked out what Seoyoung and Minho should say and post on social media. When everything finally seemed to be under control, Seoyoung's manager said, "We have a reservation at an elite restaurant for tonight. The paparazzi will be there to take your photos. You need to deliver a stellar performance. You have to look completely in love. Got it?"

"Got it," Minho replied, casually checking his nails. "Which restaurant are we heading to?"

Seoyoung's manager quickly glanced at his messages to double-check the name. 

"The place? It’s The Prestige.

N/A: 
Chapter two is here! Woohoo!